Therapy: Hourly wage disincentivizes a therapist to be efficient. Only altruistic therapist will go against their own financial interest to rapidly cure a person. Ruthless optimizer patient can sometimes do some foundational work rapid fire in a few sessions and be done. Unless there are any more splinters to be dug out, then time, healthy living, peace, and firm boundaries plus a spiritual/ contemplative practice work wonders.

If they go to a specialist. EMDR for PTSD is helpful.

But most talk therapy is just getting someone who will maintain your confidentiality when you vent about your life. A dangerous element of this is many therapists are either not good or not a good match for the individual. So here’s a depressed person who went out of their way to feel better and it didn’t work, maybe even made things worse. Can be mighty disheartening for folks.